NHL to hold draft June 30; new rules for lottery

Published: March 4, 2013 5:35PM

NEWARK, N.J. (AP) -- The NHL is increasing the number of teams eligible to make the No. 1 pick in its draft to 14, and announced that all seven rounds of the draft at the Prudential Center will take place June 30.

The league announced Monday that all 14 teams that miss the playoffs, or the teams that hold the rights to the top 14 picks, will be eligible for the No. 1 draft pick.

The lottery, which will be held April 29, will be weighted with the teams having the fewest points in the regular season having the best chance of winning.

Under the previous system, the five teams with the fewest points had the opportunity to win the top selection since no team could move up more than four spots.